Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Increases Holdings in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE)

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE – Get Rating) by 16.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 172,026 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 24,731 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. owned 0.05% of Sempra Energy worth $25,790,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP purchased a new stake in Sempra Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 440.0% during the third quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 243 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 842.9% during the second quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 264 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares in the last quarter. Coston McIsaac & Partners acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy during the second quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy during the second quarter worth about $58,000. 84.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on SRE shares. TheStreet upgraded Sempra Energy from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research report on Friday, December 2nd. StockNews.com started coverage on Sempra Energy in a research report on Thursday. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Sempra Energy from $160.00 to $158.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Sempra Energy from $180.00 to $174.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 1st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on Sempra Energy from $169.00 to $166.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 1st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $169.60.

Sempra Energy Stock Performance

NYSE SRE opened at $148.69 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The business’s 50 day moving average is $155.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $157.00. Sempra Energy has a 12-month low of $136.54 and a 12-month high of $176.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.46, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.72.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE – Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 28th. The utilities provider reported $2.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.06 by $0.29. Sempra Energy had a return on equity of 10.53% and a net margin of 14.74%. The company had revenue of $3.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.79 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.16 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Sempra Energy will post 8.94 EPS for the current year.

Sempra Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 22nd will be given a dividend of $1.19 per share. This is a boost from Sempra Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 21st. This represents a $4.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.20%. Sempra Energy’s payout ratio is presently 69.18%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 15,964 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.92, for a total transaction of $2,584,890.88. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 19,261 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,118,741.12. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 15,964 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.92, for a total transaction of $2,584,890.88. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 19,261 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,118,741.12. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Peter R. Wall sold 2,940 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.16, for a total value of $473,810.40. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,681 shares in the company, valued at approximately $915,549.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 52,504 shares of company stock worth $8,045,547. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Sempra Energy Company Profile

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Sempra Energy is an energy-service holding company, which engages in the development and operation of energy infrastructure, and provision of electric and gas services. It operates through the following segments: San Diego Gas and Electric Company (SDG&E), Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), Sempra Texas Utilities, Sempra Mexico, and Sempra LNG.